XTX Topco Ltd Has $2.35 Million Stake in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR)

XTX Topco Ltd lifted its holdings in First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) by 184.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 10,417 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,752 shares during the quarter. XTX Topco Ltd’s holdings in First Solar were worth $2,349,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. boosted its stake in First Solar by 6.3% in the first quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. now owns 259,177 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $43,749,000 after purchasing an additional 15,430 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in First Solar by 20.3% during the 1st quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 121,055 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock worth $20,434,000 after purchasing an additional 20,465 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in First Solar by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,020,527 shares of the solar cell manufacturer’s stock valued at $175,816,000 after buying an additional 16,756 shares during the period. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of First Solar in the 1st quarter valued at $759,000. Finally, Burford Brothers Inc. acquired a new position in First Solar in the fourth quarter valued at about $3,539,000. 92.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at First Solar

In related news, insider Patrick James Buehler sold 8,619 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $222.00, for a total value of $1,913,418.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,468 shares in the company, valued at $769,896. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other news, CAO Byron Michael Jeffers sold 1,766 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $216.50, for a total value of $382,339.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $108,250. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Patrick James Buehler sold 8,619 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $222.00, for a total transaction of $1,913,418.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,468 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $769,896. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 10,885 shares of company stock worth $2,405,757. Corporate insiders own 0.58% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

FSLR has been the topic of several analyst reports. Janney Montgomery Scott lowered shares of First Solar from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on First Solar from $262.00 to $282.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 16th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on shares of First Solar from $344.00 to $307.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 2nd. Mizuho restated a “neutral” rating and set a $274.00 price objective (up from $209.00) on shares of First Solar in a report on Thursday, May 30th. Finally, William Blair assumed coverage on shares of First Solar in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. They issued a “market perform” rating for the company. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-one have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $283.46.

First Solar Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of FSLR stock opened at $241.81 on Thursday. First Solar, Inc. has a 12-month low of $129.21 and a 12-month high of $306.77. The company has a market capitalization of $25.88 billion, a PE ratio of 25.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.40 and a beta of 1.44. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $221.49 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $211.71. The company has a quick ratio of 1.65, a current ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06.

First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The solar cell manufacturer reported $3.25 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.69 by $0.56. The business had revenue of $1.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $939.71 million. First Solar had a return on equity of 17.73% and a net margin of 31.98%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.85 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that First Solar, Inc. will post 13.6 earnings per share for the current year.

About First Solar

First Solar, Inc, a solar technology company, provides photovoltaic (PV) solar energy solutions in the United States, France, Japan, Chile, and internationally. The company manufactures and sells PV solar modules with a thin film semiconductor technology that provides a lower-carbon alternative to conventional crystalline silicon PV solar modules.